Raj hits back at Australia

Nasik Swami
Saturday, April 05, 2014

MEDIA Industry Development Authority chairman Ashwin Raj says he is not interested in the Australians and their money, and says Australia must rectify its own situation before coming to train journalists in Fiji.

He made the comments in response to the Pacific Media Assistance Scheme's revelation that Fiji would lose out on $A500,000 (about $F1million) worth of projects and assistance following its suspension by MIDA.

"Stop going into this business like we are basically dying for their funds. More, to us, it's a question of dignity, it's a principled intervention — if Australians cannot rectify their own situation, they shouldn't be here training us," he said.

"Why do the Australians have double standards? They cannot hold the ABC accountable yet they want to train people here.

"And why have they become the praetorian guards of good governance and democracy when in fact they cannot uphold these principles themselves," he said.